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January 8
Events * 307 – Jin Huidi, Chinese Emperor of the Jin dynasty, is poisoned and succeeded by his son Jin Huaidi. * 387 – Siyaj K'ak' conquers Waka * 871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings. *1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco. *1454 – The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive trade and colonization rights to all of Africa south of Cape Bojador. *1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany. *1547 – the first Lithuanian-language book, Simple Words of Catechism, is published in Königsberg. *1697 – Last execution for blasphemy in Britain; of Thomas Aikenhead, student, at Edinburgh. *1735 – Premiere performance of George Frideric Handel's Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. *1746 – Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling. *1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City. *1806 – Cape Colony becomes a British colony. *1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes in St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana. *1815 – War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British. *1835 – The United States national debt is zero for the only time. *1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield *1867 – African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C. *1877 – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory. *1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator. *1904 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. *1912 – The African National Congress is founded. *1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points" for the aftermath of World War I. *1920 – The steel strike of 1919 ends in a complete failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union. *1940 – World War II: Britain introduces food rationing. *1945 – World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Japanese Imperial forces. *1956 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them. *1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria. *1962 – The Harmelen train disaster killed 93 people in the Netherlands. *1963 – Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. *1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States. *1971 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh. *1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched. * 1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins. *1975 – Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband. *1977 – Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. *1979 – Password Plus debuts on NBC. *1981 – A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time". *1982 – Breakup of the Bell System: AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions. *1989 – Kegworth air disaster: British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400, crashes into the M1 motorway, killing 47 of the 126 people on board. *1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space. *1996 – An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 237 on the ground; the aircraft's crew of six survive the crash. *2002 – President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act. *2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers. * 2003 – Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people on board. *2004 – The , the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. *2005 – The nuclear sub collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired. *2009 – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32. *2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three. *2011 – The attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and subsequent shooting in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in which five people were shot dead. Births *1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyo (d. 1623) *1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643) *1587 – Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1616) *1589 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet and playwright (d. 1638) *1601 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658) *1628 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695) *1632 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German economist and jurist (d. 1694) *1635 – Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish cardinal (d. 1709) *1638 – Elisabetta Sirani, Italian painter (d. 1665) *1680 – Sebastiano Conca, Italian painter (d. 1764) *1735 – John Carroll, American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University (d. 1815) *1763 – Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American translator and diplomat (d. 1834) *1786 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844) *1788 – Archduke Rudolf of Austria (d. 1831) *1792 – Lowell Mason, American composer and educator (d. 1872) *1805 – John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871) * 1805 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878) *1812 – Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871) *1817 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893) *1821 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Turkey (d. 1904) * 1821 – W. H. L. Wallace, American lawyer and general (d. 1862) *1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh-English geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913) *1824 – Wilkie Collins, English author and playwright (d. 1889) * 1824 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (d. 1861) *1830 – Albert Bierstadt, German-American painter and educator (d. 1902) * 1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894) *1836 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-English painter and academic (d. 1912) *1843 – Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929) * 1843 – Karl Eduard Heusner, German admiral (d. 1891) * 1843 – John H. Moffitt, American sergeant and politician, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1926) *1852 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931) *1854 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1925) *1860 – Emma Booth, English author (d. 1903) *1862 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934) *1864 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892) *1865 – Winnaretta Singer, American philanthropist (d. 1943) *1866 – William G. Conley, American educator and politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940) *1867 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961) *1870 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930) *1871 – James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish captain and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940) *1873 – Iuliu Maniu, Romanian lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953) * 1873 – Elena of Montenegro (d. 1956) *1876 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Latvia (d. 1934) *1879 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (d. 1948) *1881 – Henrik Shipstead, American dentist and politician (d. 1960) * 1881 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (d. 1945) *1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (d. 1941) * 1883 – Patrick J. Hurley, American general, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963) *1885 – John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945) * 1885 – Mór Kóczán, Hungarian javelin thrower and pastor (d. 1972) * 1885 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American pastor and activist (d. 1967) *1888 – Richard Courant, German-American mathematician and academic (d. 1972) *1891 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957) * 1891 – Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986) * 1891 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972) *1894 – Maximilian Kolbe, Polish martyr and saint (d. 1941) *1896 – Arthur Ford, American psychic, founded the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (d. 1971) * 1896 – Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer and academic (d. 1967) *1897 – Dennis Wheatley, English soldier and author (d. 1977) *1899 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959) *1900 – Merlyn Myer, Australian philanthropist (d. 1982) *1902 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician (d. 1988) * 1902 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (d. 1987) *1904 – Karl Brandt, German physician and SS officer (d. 1948) * 1904 – Tampa Red, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1981) *1905 – Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (d. 1997) * 1905 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer and poet (d. 1988) *1906 – Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter (d. 1969) *1907 – Keizō Hayashi, Japanese general and civil servant (d. 1991) *1908 – Fearless Nadia, Australian-Indian actress and stuntwoman (d. 1966) *1909 – Ashapoorna Devi, Indian author and poet (d. 1995) * 1909 – Willy Millowitsch, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1999) * 1909 – Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995) * 1909 – Nikolaos Platon, Greek archaeologist (d. 1992) * 1909 – Evelyn Wood, American author and educator (d. 1995) *1910 – Galina Ulanova, Russian actress and ballerina (d. 1998) *1911 – Tom Delaney, English race car driver and businessman (d. 2006) * 1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, dancer, and author (d. 1970) *1912 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor and director (d. 1992) * 1912 – Lawrence Walsh, Canadian-American lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2014) *1915 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991) *1917 – Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, American author, playwright, and academic (d. 1994) *1920 – Richard Benedict, American actor and director (d. 1984) *1922 – Dale D. Myers, American engineer (d. 2015) * 1922 – Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (d. 1986) *1923 – Larry Storch, American actor and comedian * 1923 – Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer and actor (d. 2011) * 1923 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008) *1924 – Benjamin Lees, Chinese-American soldier and composer (d. 2010) * 1924 – Ron Moody, English actor and singer (d. 2015) *1925 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (d. 1972) *1926 – Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (d. 2012) * 1926 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer and choreographer (d. 2004) * 1926 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer * 1926 – Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009) *1927 – Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic (d. 2015) *1928 – Slade Gorton, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington * 1928 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (d. 1996) *1931 – Bill Graham, German-American businessman (d. 1991) * 1931 – Clarence Benjamin Jones, American lawyer and scholar *1933 – Nolan Miller, American fashion and jewelry designer (d. 2012) * 1933 – Charles Osgood, American soldier and journalist * 1933 – Jean-Marie Straub, French director and screenwriter * 1933 – Willie Tasby, American baseball player *1934 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987) * 1934 – Gene Freese, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013) * 1934 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (d. 2004) *1935 – Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher, founded Lapham's Quarterly * 1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 1977) *1936 – Zdeněk Mácal, Czech-American conductor * 1936 – Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English zoologist, ecologist, and academic *1937 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer *1938 – Bob Eubanks, American game show host and producer * 1938 – Anthony Giddens, English sociologist and academic * 1938 – Yevgeny Nesterenko, Russian opera singer and educator *1939 – Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer * 1939 – Ruth Maleczech, American actress (d. 2013) * 1939 – Alan Wilson, English mathematician and academic *1940 – Mark Bretscher, English biologist and academic *1941 – Graham Chapman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1989) *1942 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author * 1942 – Junichirō Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan * 1942 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress * 1942 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014) *1943 – Charles Murray, American political scientist and author *1944 – Terry Brooks, American lawyer and author *1945 – Nancy Bond, American author and academic * 1945 – Kadir Topbaş, Turkish architect and politician, 31st Mayor of Istanbul *1946 – Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter *1947 – Don Bendell, American rancher and author * 1947 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2016) * 1947 – David Gates, American journalist and author * 1947 – Antti Kalliomäki, Finnish pole vaulter and politician * 1947 – Samuel Schmid, Swiss lawyer and politician, 90th President of the Swiss Confederation * 1947 – Luke Williams, New Zealand-American wrestler *1948 – Jerzy Kaczmarek, Polish fencer * 1948 – Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director and screenwriter * 1948 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (d. 1973) *1949 – John Podesta, American lawyer and politician, 20th White House Chief of Staff * 1949 – Lawrence Rowe, Jamaican cricketer *1951 – Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia * 1951 – John McTiernan, American director and producer * 1951 – Franz Pachl, German chess player and composer * 1951 – Karen Tei Yamashita, American author and academic *1952 – Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist and educator * 1952 – Peter McCullagh, Irish mathematician and academic * 1952 – Mel Reynolds, American academic and politician *1953 – Bruce Sutter, American baseball player *1954 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (d. 1995) *1955 – Joan Kingston, Canadian nurse, educator, and politician * 1955 – Spiros Livathinos, Greek footballer and coach * 1955 – Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer *1957 – Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer * 1957 – David Lang, American composer and academic *1958 – Rey Misterio, Sr., Mexican wrestler, trainer, and actor *1959 – Kim Duk-koo, South Korean boxer (d. 1982) * 1959 – Paul Hester, Australian drummer (d. 2005) * 1959 – Keith Rodden, American NASCAR crew chief *1960 – Lee Tomboulian, American pianist, accordion player, composer, and educator * 1960 – Dave Weckl, American drummer *1961 – Keith Arkell, English chess player * 1961 – Calvin Smith, American sprinter *1962 – Chris Marion, American singer and keyboard player *1964 – Marc Quinn, English sculptor * 1964 – Ron Sexsmith, Canadian singer-songwriter *1966 – Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009) * 1966 – Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (d. 1990) *1967 – Willie Anderson, American basketball player * 1967 – Torsten Gowitzke, German footballer and manager * 1967 – Steven Jacobs, Australian television host and actor * 1967 – Tom Watson, English politician *1968 – Keith Mullings, Jamaican-American boxer *1969 – J. Hunter Johnson, American game designer, author, and translator *1970 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player *1971 – Jesper Jansson, Swedish footballer * 1971 – Mike Süsser, German chef and author * 1971 – Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer and coach *1972 – Paul Clement, English footballer, coach, and manager * 1972 – Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer *1973 – Mike Cameron, American baseball player * 1973 – Henning Solberg, Norwegian race car driver * 1973 – Jason Stevens, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster *1975 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian composer and producer *1976 – Kenneth Andam, Ghanaian sprinter and businessman * 1976 – Jenny Lewis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress * 1976 – Carl Pavano, American baseball player *1977 – Amber Benson, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1977 – Ilisha Jarret, American basketball player * 1977 – Lee Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and host *1979 – Torry Castellano, American drummer * 1979 – Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean footballer and manager * 1979 – Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer * 1979 – Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer * 1979 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter * 1979 – Tomasz Schafernaker, Polish-English meteorologist * 1979 – Mirella van Melis, Dutch cyclist *1980 – Adam Goodes, Australian footballer * 1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress and producer *1981 – Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player * 1981 – Ioannis Kokkodis, Greek swimmer * 1981 – Virgil Spier, Dutch sprinter and hurdler * 1981 – Trent Waterhouse, Australian rugby player *1982 – Emanuele Calaiò, Italian footballer * 1982 – Wil Francis, American singer-songwriter and producer * 1982 – Gaby Hoffmann, American actress *1983 – Jon Daly, Irish footballer * 1983 – Chris Masters, American wrestler and actor *1984 – Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player * 1984 – Stephen Simpson, South African race car driver * 1984 – Jeon Ji-ae, South Korean actress * 1984 – Kim Jong-un, North Korean soldier and politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea *1986 – David Silva, Spanish footballer *1987 – Carmen Klaschka, German tennis player *1988 – Vitaliy Hoshkoderya, Ukrainian footballer * 1988 – Adrián López, Spanish footballer * 1988 – Michael Mancienne, English footballer *1989 – Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player * 1989 – Kristján Einar, Icelandic race car driver * 1989 – Lee Yi-kyung, South Korean actor *1990 – Hassan Adhuham, Maldivian footballer * 1990 – Jeff Allen, American football player * 1990 – Sascha Bigalke, German footballer * 1990 – Scott Pye, Australian race car driver *1991 – Jorge Enríquez, Mexican footballer * 1991 – Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer * 1991 – Shin Ji-min, South Korean singer and rapper * 1991 – Emiliano Tabone, Argentinian footballer *1992 – Koke, Spanish footballer * 1992 – Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player * 1992 – Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer *1993 – Giovanni Galbieri, Italian sprinter Deaths * 307 – Emperor Hui of Jin (b. 259) * 482 – Severinus of Noricum, Italian saint (b. 410) *1107 – Edgar, King of Scotland (b. 1074) *1198 – Pope Celestine III (b. 1106) *1337 – Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto's Campanile (b. 1266) *1456 – Lawrence Giustiniani, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381) *1464 – Thomas Ebendorfer, Austrian historian and academic (b. 1385) *1557 – Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522) *1570 – Philibert de l'Orme, French sculptor and architect, designed the Château d'Anet (b. 1510) *1598 – John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525) *1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564) *1664 – Moses Amyraut, French physician and theologian (b. 1596) *1707 – John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish soldier and politician, Scottish Secretary of State (b. 1648) *1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653) *1775 – John Baskerville, English printer and type designer (b. 1706) *1789 – Jack Broughton, English boxer (b. 1703) *1794 – Justus Möser, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1720) *1815 – Edward Pakenham, Anglo-Irish general and politician (b. 1778) *1825 – Eli Whitney, American engineer and theorist, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765) *1853 – Mihály Bertalanits, Slovene-Hungarian poet and educator (b. 1788) *1854 – William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English field marshal and politician, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (b. 1768) *1865 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1779) *1874 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814) *1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821) *1878 – Gauchito Gil, Argentinian saint (b. 1847) *1880 – Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811) *1883 – Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825) *1896 – William Rainey Marshall, American banker and politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825) * 1896 – Paul Verlaine, French poet (b. 1844) *1901 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873) *1912 – Friedrich Schrempf, German journalist and politician (b. 1858) *1914 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and 30th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1823) *1916 – Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884) * 1916 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860) *1918 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1892) * 1918 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827) *1934 – Andrei Bely, Russian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1880) * 1934 – Alexandre Stavisky, Ukrainian-French financier (b. 1886) *1935 – Rauf Yekta, Turkish musicologist and author (b. 1871) *1938 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880) *1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general (b. 1857) *1942 – Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869) *1943 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (b. 1919) * 1943 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (b. 1879) *1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American lieutenant and sailor (b. 1878) *1945 – Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer and author (b. 1900) *1948 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and graphic designer (b. 1887) *1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and academic (b. 1883) *1952 – Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1866) *1953 – Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883) *1954 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1898) *1956 – Jim Elliot, American missionary and martyr (b. 1928) *1958 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869) * 1958 – John Duff, Canadian race car driver (b. 1895) *1961 – Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910) *1969 – Albert Hill, English runner and coach (b. 1889) * 1969 – Elmar Kaljot, Estonian footballer and coach (b. 1901) *1970 – Jani Christou, Egyptian-Greek pianist and composer (b. 1926) * 1970 – Georges Guibourg, French actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1891) *1972 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet and author (b. 1911) *1975 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (b. 1913) *1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese soldier and politician, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898) * 1976 – Robert Forgan, Scottish-English physician and politician (b. 1891) *1979 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter and harp player (b. 1898) *1980 – John Mauchly, American physicist and academic (b. 1907) *1981 – Matthew Beard, American actor (b. 1925) *1982 – Grégoire Aslan, Swiss-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908) *1983 – Hüseyin Alp, Turkish basketball player and actor (b. 1935) * 1983 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German general and pilot (b. 1919) * 1983 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician 30th Governor of Oregon (b. 1913) *1984 – Eerik Kumari, Estonian ornithologist and academic (b. 1912) *1986 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (b. 1906) *1990 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (b. 1919) * 1990 – Terry-Thomas, English actor and comedian (b. 1911) *1991 – Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1960) *1994 – Pat Buttram, American actor and comedian (b. 1915) * 1994 – Harvey Haddix, American baseball player and coach (b. 1925) *1995 – Carlos Monzón, Argentinian boxer and actor (b. 1942) *1996 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (b. 1968) * 1996 – François Mitterrand, French sergeant and politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916) * 1996 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (b. 1907) *1997 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911) *1998 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (b. 1905) *2002 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916) * 2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy's (b. 1932) *2003 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925) *2004 – John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930) *2006 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943) *2007 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908) * 2007 – Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916) * 2007 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922) * 2007 – David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953) * 2007 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925) *2008 – George Moore, Australian jockey and trainer (b. 1923) *2010 – Art Clokey, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921) *2011 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937) * 2011 – John Roll, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (b. 1947) * 2011 – Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924) *2012 – Dave Alexander, American singer and pianist (b. 1938) * 2012 – T. J. Hamblin, English haematologist and academic (b. 1943) * 2012 – John Madin, English architect, designed the Birmingham Central Library (b. 1924) * 2012 – Bernhard Schrader, German chemist and academic (b. 1931) * 2012 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (b. 1929) *2013 – Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927) * 2013 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (b. 1920) * 2013 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (b. 1930) *2014 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (b. 1928) * 2014 – Madeline Gins, American poet and architect (b. 1941) * 2014 – Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, Dutch-Australian swimmer (b. 1925) * 2014 – Antonino P. Roman, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1939) *2015 – Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (b. 1942) * 2015 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926) * 2015 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (b. 1921) *2016 – Otis Clay, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942) * 2016 – Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian race car driver (b. 1926) Holidays and observances *Babinden (Belarus, Russia) *Christian feast day: **Abo of Tiflis **Apollinaris Claudius **Blessed Eurosia Fabris **Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism) **Gudula **Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA)) **Lawrence Giustiniani **Lucian of Beauvais **Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Bon Secours) (Roman Catholic Church) **Pega **Severinus of Noricum **Thorfinn of Hamar **January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands) *Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand) *Typing Day (International observance) External links * BBC: On This Day * * Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:January